Andes Crossing

The Crossing of the Andes was a set of maneuvers carried out by the Army of the Andes of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata —present-day Argentina— and Chilean troops exiled in the city of Mendoza, between January 12 and February 9, 1817, to cross the Andes mountain range from the Argentine region of Cuyo to Chile with a force of 4,000 regular soldiers and 1,200 militiamen, and confront the royalist troops of the Empire Spanish who were there. It was part of the plan that the Argentine general José de San Martín developed to carry out the Liberating Expedition of Argentina, Chile and Peru. He was supported by the Guerra de zapa, led by the Chilean Manuel Rodríguez.

It is considered one of the great historical events of Argentina and Chile, as well as one of the greatest feats of universal military history.

Idea

After the Revolution of May 1810, the Argentine war of independence began, as part of a series of revolutions against the Spanish monarchy throughout the entire South American continent. Although these movements achieved initial success, their progress later stagnated, due to the resistance and repression carried out by the American and peninsular sectors loyal to the Spanish crown, who maintained their center of power in Peru.

Organization

Canonical portrait of José de San Martín, of unknown author (1827 or 1829)

To carry out his plan, San Martín arrived in Mendoza on September 7, 1814 with the idea of organizing a small and disciplined army in the province of Cuyo. Shortly after his arrival, between October 1 and 2 of that year, the Battle of Rancagua took place in Chile, in which the Chilean patriot forces were defeated, and part of their remains crossed the mountain range in the direction of Mendoza, leaving Chile again in realistic hands. Faced with this situation, San Martín received and incorporated into his incipient Cuyo army —which already had around 1,000 men— the remains of Chilean troops under the command of Andrés del Alcázar and Bernardo O'Higgins; the other faction followed José Miguel Carrera deciding not to be part of the new army. At the same time, San Martín incorporated into his army the Battalion of Argentine Auxiliaries (also called Chilean Auxiliaries), which had returned from its mission in Chile under the command of Colonel Juan Gregorio de Las Heras by order of the government of the United Provinces after taking knowledge of the Treaty of Lircay.

San Martín appointed the Chilean lawyer Dr. Hipólito de Villarreal, who was exiled by the Carrera brothers, as representative of the Army of the Andes to receive the funds they collected in order to provide support for the troops. He tried to quickly put his army in a position to fight, fearing that the royalists would cross the mountain range and attack Mendoza, due to the appearance of royalist detachments in El Portillo, Las Flechas and Ladera de las Vacas in the Uspallata pass. Despite these movements, this fear never came true because the leader of the Spanish forces in Chile, Casimiro Marcó del Pont, considered the crossing by an army impractical.

Thus it was that San Martín devoted himself during the years 1815 and 1816 to form the Army of the Andes, and to prepare it for the crossing of the Andes mountain range and the attack on the royalists of Chile. On July 9, 1816, the United Provinces declared their independence and with Juan Martín de Pueyrredón elected Supreme Director, General San Martín received the full support of the central government to improve and consolidate the army. The city of Mendoza was transformed into a large barracks and military factory, and almost all the inhabitants of Cuyo participated in the production of gunpowder and ammunition, learned to cast cannons, weave cloth, and sew clothes. A weapons foundry was set up under the charge of the Franciscan religious Fray Luis Beltrán, a body of masters under the charge of Antonio Álvarez Condarco and health services under the charge of the doctor Diego Paroissien

In the middle of 1816, San Martín settled in the camp of El Plumerillo, located in the vicinity of the city of Mendoza, where he constituted his General Staff. San Martín's activity included a complex plan to deceive the enemy (Guerra de zapa) by sending spies and conferences with indigenous people spreading the rumor that he would cross the Andes through a pass further south, which was more feasible. The Pehuenche Indians communicated these plans to the Spanish in Chile, who thus dispersed their forces and lost their power of resistance. The bulk of the army crossed the Andes through the difficult passes of Los Patos in San Juan, under the eastern command of General José de San Martín and Uspallata de Mendoza, which were considered impossible to cross, but made it possible to cut through the center of the realistic defensive lines and go directly to Santiago de Chile. They had to cross more than 500 km of mountain range and pre-mountain range.

San Martín and his troupe

Cruce de los Andes (San Martín y O'Higgins) - Óleo de Martín Boneo (1865).

The army was made up of approximately 3,800 soldiers, others of various nationalities (including a significant part of Chilean troops), 1,200 militiamen as relief troops (for transporting food and ammunition), 120 barreteros and 22 artillery pieces.

Transportation

For the crossing they used 1,600 fighting horses and 10,000 mules, so all the personnel carried out the crossing mounted.

Weapons

They carried 22 cannons, 2,000 cannon shots, 1,129 sabers, and 5,000 bayonet rifles.

Food

The base of the army's diet was the Valdivian —a dish based on crushed dried meat (charqui), fat, slices of raw onion and boiling water. The columns carrying the food brought up the rear. They transported more than 4 tons of jerky, corn biscuits, 113 loads of wine, brandy to reduce the night cold, garlic and onion (to combat soroche, or apunamiento) 600 cattle for the provision of fresh meat, cheese and rum.

Coats

In addition to their uniforms, they brought San Luis ponchos, blankets, and flannel blankets. The cold was so intense that the animals were also sheltered. They were covered with blankets.

The General's Health

San Martín suffered from ulcers, and during many stretches of the crossing, afflicted by his ailments, he had to be transferred on a stretcher. During the return to Buenos Aires, after the first crossing, these ailments worsened his health.

Flag

Flag of the Andes Army. It is currently the flag of the Province of Mendoza.

At the request of San Martín, the Mendoza ladies sewed a flag, which was embroidered by hand. When the army embarked for Peru in Valparaíso, it traveled with a Chilean flag with three stars added, so San Martín left the flag of the Andes in deposit with the Chilean Government. After renouncing the protectorate of Peru, when passing through Mendoza San Martín informed the provincial government that the flag was in Chile and it was claimed and transferred to Mendoza. Currently this flag is in a building created for the particular purpose of caring for the Flag. The Memorial of the Flag of the Army of the Andes was inaugurated on August 17, 2012. In it you can also find two flags captured in the Battle of Chacabuco. At the request of San Martín, he was very clear about the colors that the flag of the Army of the Andes should have: light blue and white. In search of fabrics, the wife of the Liberator, Remedios, and her friend, Laureana Ferrari, went out. After getting it, Remedios began to sew and her friends to embroider. The coat of arms that adorns the center of the flag is estimated to have been drawn by Captain Bermúdez or Sergeant Antonio Arcos. Laureana Ferrari wrote that the oval of the shield was designed by a certain Huisi lady and the hands drawn by Brigadier Soler; She also revealed that the gold sequins were taken from two of her fans (which today are on display at the National Historical Museum) and that the oval and the sun on the shield were adorned with diamond rosettes and pearls from her necklaces and of remedies. On January 5, 1817 - a few days after the departure of the Army - the flag was blessed in the main church of Mendoza. After the ceremony, San Martín took the flag and went to the main square, where the troops were lined up. Before them he exclaimed: "Soldiers: This is the first independent flag that has been raised in America." And he waved it three times amid an indescribable jubilation of bells, salutes, cheers and music.

The crossing

What does not allow me to sleep is, not the opposition that enemies can make to me, but through these immense mountains.

Letter from St. Martin to Thomas Guido, June 14, 1816

On January 5, 1817, the crossing of the Andes mountain range began. Although it has been compared to the crossing of the Alps by Napoleon and Hannibal Barca, the reality is that they were very different.

In principle, the Andes mountain range, especially in Mendoza, is the highest mountain range in the Western and Southern Hemisphere, surpassing the Alps. Likewise, the European mountain range had wider roads, and was populated: the crossings were made by commercial passes, which allowed the resupply of the troops. Artillery pieces could be transported comfortably on carts, and elephants could even be taken over the mountains, something completely impossible in the Andes.

In its place, the passes chosen by San Martín had no population or roads, and in many sections, the pass had to be done in single file, crossing streams and rivers on portable bridges, loaded by the army. The crossing was made following the instructions of baqueanos, and having to transport food, weapons and provisions for the trip by mule, since the road did not have resupply points to Chile. Likewise, the crossing was made through two passes, Los Patos and Uspallata, perfectly coordinated.

Another important factor was the distance traveled: Napoleon crossed a maximum of 280 km, while the Army of the Andes crossed a maximum of 750 km, through the Come-Caballos pass. In short, the crossing of the Andes was a technical and logistical feat in unparalleled conditions. Both the distance and the height were greater, as were the logistical challenges of moving an army of these dimensions through uninhabitable regions, in a very short period of time.

The Army of the Andes, formed in El Plumerillo (7 km from Mendoza), abandoned the camp and began crossing the Andes through the Los Patos and Uspallata passes. These steep roads ensured the surprise factor. The crossing lasted 21 days, using guides (baqueanos). The maximum altitude reached reached 5000 m s. no. m. in El Espinacito.

The campaign plan was to divide the troops into two columns (main and secondary) and four detachments.

Main: it was made up of three columns under the respective command of Miguel Estanislao Soler (vanguard), San Martín and O'Higgins, both with the reserve a day away. He advanced through the Los Patos pass.

Secondary: it was commanded by Juan Gregorio de Las Heras, who advanced along the Uspallata route. Two days away, Luis Beltrán followed him with the park and the artillery.

The main forces reached the other side between February 6 and 8.

The 17th begins the departure of the vanguard: the measures are taken to hide the enemy from the point of attack. If you get it and let us stand in plain, the thing is assured. Anyway, we'll do as much as we can to get out of here, because if the devil doesn't take it all.

Letter from Saint Martin to Thomas Guido, January 13, 1817

The figures of the crossing

• Men: 5424 (including 3 generals, 28 chiefs, 207 officers and 2106 grenadiers).
• Cannons transported: 22 (2 6-inch shells, 7 4-inch battle cannons, 9 mountain cannons, 2 iron cannons and 2 10-ounce cannons).
• Average advance per day: 28 km.
• Operating theatre front: 800 km.
• Average height: 3000 m. n. m. Maximum height: more than 4000 m. n. m.
• Variation of daytime temperature: an average daily thermal difference of 40 °C, between the highest temperature of the day (30 °C) and the lowest temperature of the night (-10 °C).